Hound was understandably off balance. Physically, yes, with his leg rather impressively mangled, but also mentally with what this one Cybertronian could mean for them all.

"Hey, do I need to look for your online button or are you actually processing the words coming out of my mouth."

Cheeky glitch.

"Don't start."

Hound stared in shock. This mech could read minds like Soundwave!?

"Heh, just know that look. Now, tow cable or I'm going to haul you up there like a dog with a particularly good bone, tooth marks and all."

That brought his attention to the rather impressive set of alloy fangs lining the bot's mouth.

"Right, sorry."

"No problem. Processor freeze is a bit understandable."

It took some creative looping and knots but eventually he managed to make a sort of harness out of the tow cable he had with him. The loop end went under his arms and the other looped around the new arrival's forelegs. Without asking the bot sidled up and let him lean as he got to his peds and wobbled to the easiest wall to climb.

"Are you sure you can take my mass? I'm a fair bit bigger than you.'

"No big deal. I'm a lot tougher than I look."

"All right then, I'll try not to make this any more difficult than it has to be."

The bot gave a nod and started making its way easily up the wall. He was surprised when he realized the bot actually was helping bear his weight as it moved upwards, pulling him and barely showing any sign of effort.

For a small bot that was fairly impressive.

"I know I've got a nice aft, but you really don't need to stare."

Hound felt his face plates heat up as he realized just where his optics had landed while he thought.

At least the twins hadn't heard that comment, he'd never live it down!

"Can I ask what happened to your voice?"

"Got into a fight I wasn't too sure I could win. Was trying to help a femme and her sparkling get away from a Con, got a set of claws to my voice processor relays for my trouble."

"Were they able to get away?"

The long silence was more telling than he'd like.

"There was an explosion in one of the nearby buildings. They never saw what hit them, offlined instantly. The after with his claws in my neck shielded me from the blast."

"Primus must love irony."

"Probably."

"It is better that they offlined rather than be captured. I wouldn't wish what the Cons do to sparklings and femmes on the Unmaker."

"…. Me neither."

After that Hound let the silence stay, pushing back memories he'd rather not have. War changed everyone, and he knew from time working with the Wild ones back on Cybertron that all of them were heavily family oriented and viewed sparklings as the most precious things in creation. He was surprised the bot had stayed sane.

"Ok, just try to push as much as you can, and keep yourself from snagging."

Hound was brought out of his thoughts as he was suddenly tugged up faster than he expected, toppling over the lip of the hole. The bot had the tow line in its mouth, pulling steadily backwards until he was completely clear before letting it go.

"You good to call your allies, or do I need to go find Little Bot Blue?"

Hound tried unsuccessfully to hide a grin at the nickname.

"I'll need Jolt to call the base. My comm was damaged when I fell. I'd rather not bring the Cons down on our heads."

"Good point so where is… SLAG!"

Hound didn't have time to question the curse as he was tackled to the ground, a thud sounding somewhere behind him by the time he was let back up.

There was a smoking crater with what was obviously a protoform unfolding. His 'rescuer' was standing slightly in front and to the side of him, ears back and snarling as it unfolded.

"Get your gun out."

"What?"

"Con!"

The form finished unfolding itself to reveal a Seeker, already armored with earth-alt kibble. It was mostly undamaged from the impact, its own gun falling into its hand.

"An Autobot and a would-be Feral. Primus must be smiling on me to give me such sport."

In response the fox-bot growled louder, showing a set of sharp fangs that were starting to glow with energon.

"I think you will be first, Feral. Your kind should know its place, offline."

The gun turned and fired before Hound could get his own weapon up. Rather than seeing a sparkles shell there was only blackened sand where not a moment before the bot had stood.

"Seekers were oathed to protect sparklings. Seekers destroyed sparklings. Your kind are nothing but oath-breakers!"

That title enraged the mech, turning his countenance from detached amusement to fury.

With an inarticulate snarl he brought his weapon round again, firing even as the Wild Spark moved. Claws glowing with energon ate up the distance between Seeker and Wild in a few scant sparkbeats.

Hound could only watch as the much smaller Wild took a running leap, landing on the wing of the Seeker and dug its claws in, rending deep tears in the sensitive hide. The Seeker screeched in pain, dropping the gun to rip the smaller bot from its wing, making the claws tear more as it was removed. In a flurry of movement the Wild spun and landed on its feet against the side of the canyon, moving before the Seeker's claws ripped into the rock where it had been not a nanosecond earlier. It wasn't obvious, despite the huge size difference, but the Seeker was losing as the Wild kept attacking from unexpected directions, claws and fangs tearing into lines and through armored hide, leaving energon to run down the Seeker's frame and into the sand below.

The Wild was thrown off again after tearing a deep gash near the Seeker's cockpit, charging straight back towards it as soon as it landed, the few cuts on its pelt hardly slowing it down. Hound only just noticed the Seeker un-subspace something, optics widening as he realized what it was.

"Look out!"

The warning came a split second too late as the Seeker whirled, tossing the ring in its hand at the Wild. Before it could dodge the ring honed in and latched around the Wild's neck, causing it to cry out in shock and pain as the collar dug in and started to deliver a virus to the Wild's system. The force of the impact with the ring caused it to fly back over him.

Even then the Wild only let it win for a moment, shaking slightly as it rose to its feet, optics shining bright in fury. The snarl that came from its derma shook Hound to his spark, and he knew the Wild one was trying to protect him.

"Get away from him!"

The Seeker and the Wild had been so involved in their fight that they hadn't noticed the blue figure get close. In the same instance two electric whips snapped forward. One hit the Seeker on the wing, crossing a batch of deep claw marks and making him howl in pain.

The other seemed to be guided by Murphy's Law. It snapped towards the Wild hitting and tangling with the ring around its neck. The thing popped and crackled even as the bot thrashed and cried out in pain. The Seeker used the distraction to get free of the whip and take off.

"Tell that Feral I'll enjoy the hunt!"

Jolt had pulled the whip free finally and looked ready to make another strike at what he thought was an enemy.

"Stop! He's an ally. Contact the base and tell them to send Ratchet up with Ironhide and Prowl or Mirage."

The younger mech stood down, a look of confusion on his faceplates as he carried out the orders.

Hound vented softly, looking at the still form of the Wild one. Now that the bot was still he could see the scratches dotting its pelt and the burns from the whip and collar. He had a bad feeling that the Wild bot would have kept fighting until either he or the Seeker was permanently offline.

"I can only pray that Ratchet knows enough to help fix you."

"Hound?"

"That bot probably saved my spark, Jolt. Patch what you can until Ratch gets here."

Looking startled and no little bit guilty he carefully moved to the downed bot's side, pulling line sealant from his subspace and applying it where he could see leaks.

It wasn't soon enough for either bot when the small convoy finally arrived an hour later.